Phil Matier: Gov. Brown Signs Bills To Help Build NBA Arenas
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — Gov. Jerry Brown has signed two bills into law that will help build new NBA arenas for the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings.
Assembly Bill 1273 by San Francisco Assemblyman Phil Ting deals with the Warriors plans to build an arena on the city's waterfront. The new law makes the deal for the arena to be more easily approved by various state regulatory commissions.
Phil Matier: Gov. Brown Signs Bills To Help Build NBA Arenas
The proposed arena in San Francisco would practically be over the water at the base of the Bay Bridge. This gets into some grey area as tidewater areas are under state land control and environmental rules can be strict. I don't know if there will be money for the project, but the bill was signed.
Another bill, SB743 appears to be more sweeping, dealing with a proposed arena for the Kings in Sacramento. This bill was singed on the last day of the State Senate session close to midnight and was authored by State President pro-Tem Darrell Steinberg.
Steinberg's hometown is Sacramento. Some have criticized his policy as a way of going around California's Environmental Quality Act, which some have said has been the bane of trying to push through development with the possibility of lawsuits that can get in the way.
While the mayors of the respective cities want to get the arenas developed, they also see big opportunities to create jobs.
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